Kyle Whittingham rakes in monumental win for the Michigan Wolverines out of the transfer portal for the top defender in the country
Kyle Whittingham reels in his first big win out of the transfer portal, nabbing elite Utah transfer John Henry Daley.
The Michigan Wolverines and Kyle Whittingham have brought in the best defensive player out of the transfer portal, bringing in former Utah Ute John Henry Daley to add to their defense next season.
Daley follows Whittingham over from Utah, and he might not be the only former Ute to join the Wolverines in the coming days.
What John Henry Daley brings to the Wolverines
Landing Daley is a monumental win for Kyle Whittingham and the Wolverines. Daley was one of the most productive pass rushers in the country this season, boasting 47 pressures, 10 sacks, and a seemingly unbelievable 24.1% pass rush win rate. On3 rated him the top defensive player in the transfer portal for a reason.
With Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham off to the NFL and TJ Guy graduating, Michigan loses it’s top three pass rushers from this season, with very little proven production behind them. Daley could be a leader for the younger players in Dominic Nichols, Nate Marshall, Julius Holly, and Carter Meadows to lean on for advice and learn from technique-wise.
This is a match made in heaven for both sides, as Daley gets to reunite with his coaches under a tremendous scheme led by (likely) defensive coordinator Jay Hill with an opportunity to play under bigger lights in a deeper conference than he was at Utah, while Whittingham and the Wolverines add one of the best defensive talents (perhaps the best) defensive player in the portal at a crucial area of need. Win-win.
The Wolverines have done a tremendous job in terms of roster retention so far under Kyle Whittingham, and have now begun turning their attentions outward to pull in players from across the country. They made their first offensive addition on Thursday, and have now followed it up by pulling in arguably the most impactful player in Daley.
It took perhaps a bit longer than fans wanted for Michigan to get active in the transfer portal, but they are now full steam ahead and are setting themselves up for a strong offseason in Kyle Whittingham’s first actions as head coach of the team.
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